The recent Queenstown Chess Classic tournament was the occasion of an historic event in New Zealand chess: The return of our first chess professional, Robert Wade, to these shores for the first time in 56 years.
Bob Wade won the New Zealand Championship in Wellington in 1948 and shortly after left for Europe to earn a living at chess. Gaining the International Master Title in 1950, Wade achieved international recognition as a player, author and trainer in a long and distinguished career. At the age of 84 he now mainly plays for the Athenaeum club in London.
Wade scored a very creditable 6/10 in Queenstown, including a second round draw against GM Murray Chandler, the tournament winner. While in Otago he visited the city of his birth, Dunedin, and held a fascinating talk on chess featuring games of his own and those of some of his current students.
Today's game features Wade as White in an attractive attacking success against U.S. (formerly Hungarian) grandmaster and World Championship Candidate, Pal Benko, at Buenos Aires in 1960. The annotations are based on those of Martin Beheim.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 e5 6.Nge2 c6 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.d5 Nb6
The Samisch Variation is one of the most provocative attacking formations against of the Kings Indian Defence, using f3 as a base for a pawn advance on the kingside. By attacking c4 Black seeks to divert the White pieces before committing his king. 9.Nc1 cxd5 10.cxd5 0-0 11.Qd2 Nh5 12.Bg5!
An original idea in this position – White holds up the thematic f5 break by Black. 12. --- f6 13.Bh4 Bd7 14.Nd3 Nc4 15.Qc1 Qc7 16.g4 Nf4 17.Nxf4 exf4 18.Bxc4 Qxc4 19.Ne2 Qa6?!
In avoiding the drawish continuations resulting from either 19 ...Qxc1+ or 19 ... Qd3 20 Qc3 Qxc3+, Black relegates the queen to a square where it is out of play. 20.Qd2 f5?
Black underestimates his opponent and follows an aggressive plan of opening lines against the White king, not noticing the danger to his own. 20 ... Rac8 was better. 21.gxf5 gxf5 22.Rg1! Kh8?
Wishing to unpin the bishop for aggressive action, Black fails to see the combination White has prepared. 22 ... Rf7 would have stayed in the game. 23.Nxf4 fxe4 24.Rxg7!
Black is suddenly lost. If 24 ... Kxg7 25 Nh5+ Kf7 (25 ... Kg6 26 Qg5+ Kf7 27 Qf6+ Ke8 28 Qe7#) 26 Qf4+ Ke8 27 Ng7 mate. 24 --- e3 25.Qd4 Rxf4 26.Rg6+!
A beautiful finish to White's combination: If 26 ... Rxd4, 27 Bf6 mate.
Chess legend visits home town
Problem: White to play and win.
The recent Queenstown Chess Classic tournament was the occasion of an historic event in New Zealand chess: The return of our first chess professional, Robert Wade, to these shores for the first time in 56 years.
Bob Wade won the New Zealand Championship in Wellington in 1948 and shortly after left for Europe to earn a living at chess. Gaining the International Master Title in 1950, Wade achieved international recognition as a player, author and trainer in a long and distinguished career. At the age of 84 he now mainly plays for the Athenaeum club in London.
Wade scored a very creditable 6/10 in Queenstown, including a second round draw against GM Murray Chandler, the tournament winner. While in Otago he visited the city of his birth, Dunedin, and held a fascinating talk on chess featuring games of his own and those of some of his current students.
Today's game features Wade as White in an attractive attacking success against U.S. (formerly Hungarian) grandmaster and World Championship Candidate, Pal Benko, at Buenos Aires in 1960. The annotations are based on those of Martin Beheim.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 g6
3.Nc3 Bg7
4.e4 d6
5.f3 e5
6.Nge2 c6
7.Be3 Nbd7
8.d5 Nb6
The Samisch Variation is one of the most provocative attacking formations against of the Kings Indian Defence, using f3 as a base for a pawn advance on the kingside. By attacking c4 Black seeks to divert the White pieces before committing his king.
9.Nc1 cxd5
10.cxd5 0-0
11.Qd2 Nh5
12.Bg5!
An original idea in this position – White holds up the thematic f5 break by Black.
12. --- f6
13.Bh4 Bd7
14.Nd3 Nc4
15.Qc1 Qc7
16.g4 Nf4
17.Nxf4 exf4
18.Bxc4 Qxc4
19.Ne2 Qa6?!
In avoiding the drawish continuations resulting from either 19 ...Qxc1+ or 19 ... Qd3 20 Qc3 Qxc3+, Black relegates the queen to a square where it is out of play.
20.Qd2 f5?
Black underestimates his opponent and follows an aggressive plan of opening lines against the White king, not noticing the danger to his own. 20 ... Rac8 was better.
21.gxf5 gxf5
22.Rg1! Kh8?
Wishing to unpin the bishop for aggressive action, Black fails to see the combination White has prepared. 22 ... Rf7 would have stayed in the game.
23.Nxf4 fxe4
24.Rxg7!
Black is suddenly lost. If 24 ... Kxg7 25 Nh5+ Kf7 (25 ... Kg6 26 Qg5+ Kf7 27 Qf6+ Ke8 28 Qe7#) 26 Qf4+ Ke8 27 Ng7 mate.
24 --- e3
25.Qd4 Rxf4
26.Rg6+!
A beautiful finish to White's combination: If 26 ... Rxd4, 27 Bf6 mate.
1-0
Solution: 1 g7+! Nxg7 2 h7! and queens.